Eating about one serving of green leafy vegetables a day may be linked to a slower rate of brain aging, a new study shows. The study found that people who ate at least one serving of green leafy vegetables per day had a slower decline on tests of memory and thinking skills than people who never or rarely ate these vegetables. The difference between the two groups was the equivalent of being 11 years younger.
The study included 960 people with an average age of 81 who did not have dementia and were followed for an average of 4.7 years. The participants completed a questionnaire about how often they ate certain foods and that their thinking and memory skills were tested annually during that time.
The questionnaire asked how often and how many servings people ate of three green, leafy vegetables:spinach, kale and lettuce. The participants were divided into five equal groups based on how often they ate green vegetables. The people in the top group ate an average of about 1.3 servings per day. Those in the lowest portion group ate an average of 0.1 portions per day.
Overall, participants' scores on the thinking and memory test declined over time at a rate of 0.08 standardized units per year. More than 10 years later, the rate of decline for those who ate the most green vegetables was slower at 0.05 standardized units per year than for those who ate the least green leafy vegetables. This difference was equivalent to being 11 years younger.
The results remained valid after accounting for other factors that may affect brain health, such as smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, education level, and amount of physical and cognitive activity.
